Theories and ideas

This page has a variety of brief documents summarising the evidence, theories and ideas that support relationship-based practice (RBP) such as the Tōu Ake Mana, PARTH and Moana frameworks. Each document contains a summary of a key idea, a case example showing how the idea has been used, and a list of places to look for more information. The documents are designed to be used together and with the other resources on this site, not in isolation. You can use them to learn more about the ideas behind RBP, to help you reflect on your mahi individually or in groups, and to complete professional development logs for social work or youth work.

Thanks to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Research (MAUX2006) for funding the research that created these resources.

This work by J. Sanders, R. Munford, J. Webster, J. Mercier, D. Abbott & L. Liebenberg is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 

Category

Category
  • Ideas that inform relationship-based practice (RBP) (13)
  • Relational skills and practice (12)
  • Understanding rangatahi (9)

By Topic(s)

By Topic(s)
  • Advocacy (11)
  • Anger (9)
  • Boundaries (3)
  • Care placement/housing/homelesness (2)
  • Collaboration (15)
  • Crime/justice (3)
  • Crisis (3)
  • Culture (17)
  • Education/learning/employment (2)
  • Ending/loss (2)
  • Engagement (15)
  • Finding strengths (14)
  • Goal setting (6)
  • Innovation (17)
  • Making mistakes (7)
  • Mental health (6)
  • Reflection (14)
  • Self-care (5)
  • Trauma (8)
  • Violence/Abuse (5)

By Element(s)

By Element(s)
  • Action (2)
  • Adaptability (3)
  • Agency (4)
  • Honesty (3)
  • Hope (2)
  • Humility (5)
  • Passion (2)
  • Perseverance (2)
  • Perspective (4)
  • Reciprocity (2)
  • Relevance (5)
  • Respect (7)
  • Thresholds (2)
  • Time (4)
  • Transitions (2)
  • Trust (5)

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1 - 12 of 34 items

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Adaptability and being flexible

Rangatahi lives are dynamic, and they often face a lot of disruption. RBP tells us that if we are open to doing things differently our mahi is more likely to work,

Agency and voice

Agency is being in charge of your own decisions and having control over what happens to you. Agency is a right that allows young people to shape their own future.

Building trust

Rangatahi are often let down by adults. They can wonder if we will let them down too. So, we have to work hard to prove we can be trusted.

Care ethics

Care ethics shift our focus from rules and rights, to caring as a normal part of any relationship.

Change steps

It can be helpful to think about change as a set of steps. This helps us recognise where rangatahi are at in their change journeys. We can adapt our work better when we notice what step they may be on.

Hearing rangatahi and asking questions

Hearing what rangatahi say, showing them that we have heard and then acting on what they tell us, are important relationship building blocks. This keeps rangatahi at the centre of practice and helps them learn they can trust us.

Power

Working with power dynamics in your mahi with rangatahi.

Rangatahi are the centre of our mahi

Rangatahi are the centre of our mahi when we stay focused on them and what they see as important. Keeping them at the centre leads to better outcomes.

The helping alliance - rangatahi as partners

Tips to help develop a strong helping alliance with rangatahi.

The importance of time

Using time well in your mahi with rangatahi.

Understanding and working with resistance

The word resistance is used to describe ways that rangatahi can resist or push back against our involvement in their lives. This may include behaviours such as silence, not showing up, absconding or acting up.

Working with challenging emotions

Emotions are always present in relationship-based practice (RBP). Kaimahi and rangatahi bring emotions into the relationship and emotions emerge out of their work together.

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This work by J. Sanders, R. Munford, J. Webster, J. Mercier, D. Abbott & L. Liebenberg is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. 
This site was created as part of a research programme (MAUX2006) funded by MBIE. We thank them for their support.

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